12 Best Hidden Gem Movies Of 2016
1. 20th Century Women
From his quirky debut Thumbsucker to his critically
acclaimed sophomore film Beginners, a fictionalized retelling of his
relationship with his own father who came out at the grand age of 75, Mike
Mills is fast proving himself one of the best indie filmmakers around today.
With his third film, 20th Century Women, he takes inspiration from his relationship with his mother. While many filmmakers might use that premise as an excuse to delve into self-indulgent, pseudo-Freudian territory, fear not: Mills’ semi-autobiographical comedy-drama is as funny as it is poignant.
Set in 1979, the film stars Annette Bening as liberal, fifty-something matriarch Dorothea who is raising her fifteen-year-old son Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann) alone in the sprawling Southern Californian home they share with a ragtag group of characters – Billy Crudup’s burned-out hippie mechanic, punk photographer and cancer survivor Abbie (Greta Gerwig) and Jamie’s crush Julie (Elle Fanning), a depressed and reckless teen who has epically friend-zoned the lad.
Fearing her son need more than just herself, Dorothea recruits Abbie and Julie to help raise him. Thus begins an education for young Jamie in everything from punk music and the novels of Judy Blume to menstruation and clitoral stimulation.
A heartfelt tribute to mothers and other female role models, it’s a rare – too rare, in fact, considering what a brilliant actress she is – opportunity to see Bening to excel in a leading role.